Dysfunctional Family
by YukiSkye
Summary: To the Straw Hats, dysfunctional is as normal as anything. A look into Luffy's family.
1. Ace Niichan

**Disclamier:** Ha! Hahahahaha! Ha... Ha... ... No

**Summary:** Luffy wonders why Ace protects and worries about him even if he's nothing but trouble. Brothership.

Mm... Actually I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this but I did anyway cuz I already wrote it. My first multi-chaptered story ch'ya! So much fun and stuff.

By the way, to everyone who gave me reviews for my last few stories (and are reading this story as well) I would like to thank. Reviews is what me, as an aspiring author look forward to! Even if its criticizing, it is still what I look forward to. Now, onwards!

* * *

Luffy followed his nii-chan, Ace, as they walked to their usual spot to go fishing.

If you asked Luffy how much he loved Ace, he'd pause for a long while trying to think of the biggest thing his mind could come up with.

Ace had been with Luffy his whole life and knew that his nii-chan would always be there to worry and care about him and that made Luffy feel joy. Ace was also one of the only people who fully understood Luffy along with his behavior and reasoning, even though it's hard to even fathom for most other people.

Luffy was always grateful that Ace was his nii-chan because he was the best in the world!

They stopped at the end of a long piece of land that stuck out into the ocean, the perfect place to fish. It was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. The waves lapped gently, creating a soothing atmosphere. The weather was also very nice too, sunny but with a breeze blowing so that it isn't too hot.

Ace helped Luffy set up his fishing rod.

"I want to put the bait on the hook!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Sure," his brother replied, handing Luffy the tin can of worms. "Just make sure you don't hurt yourself."

The little boy nodded happily and proceeded to carefully stick the worm on his hook and after a few clumsy attempts, he managed to cast his line with some help of Ace.

"Hey Ace," Luffy said, turning to his brother.

"Yeah?" his brother answered, setting up his own bait.

"Yesterday, I found something cool! While I was coming home from Shanks, there was this pretty stone. It was shiny and green-blue! Not only is it shiny but it was shaped like a small fish! It's a mystery stone!" recalled Luffy happily.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I even have it with me."

From his pocket, he took out the stone, which gleamed in the sun. Ace looked at it and chuckled, ruffling his otouto's hair.

"That's a really neat trinket but maybe someone dropped it," Ace said, casting his line.

"I'm not sure though. I asked everyone around here if they lost it but they said no," Luffy said, deciding not to add the part where the other kids tried to take it away from him.

"Well I guess you're really lucky then," Ace responded then frowned. "Luffy, I know about the others bullying you for it."

Luffy's eyes went wide in surprise. "How?"

Ace just grinned. "I have my ways. I already beat them up for you just so you know."

In truth, he had shadowed Luffy from the moment he stepped outside.

"I hope you went easy on them Ace!" Luffy said, laughing.

"Of course. But no one hurts my otouto and gets away from it," said Ace and gave a noogie to Luffy, who squealed and tried to squirm away.

After Ace let him go and they continued fishing, Luffy asked, "Hey Ace. You've always protected me and stuff but I've never given you anything back except more trouble so why do you keep doing it?"

There was a brief silence before Ace began laughing.

Luffy pouted indignantly. "My question's not that funny you know."

"I know but I'm laughing because I'm surprised you didn't know why," Ace said, calming down.

"Hmph," Luffy huffed, lower lip sticking out.

Ace ruffled the boy's hair again and replied, "Because you are my otouto. And it is my duty as your nii-chan to make sure you are okay."

"But-"

Before Luffy could finish his sentence, his line became taut, indicating there was a fish.

"Whoa! I got one! I got one!" he cried happily and tried to pull it in but it proved to be much stronger.

He continued his tug-o-war until a particularly strong jerk sent Luffy into the water.

Ace dropped his pole immediately and dived in after his brother, a sensation of panic beginning to make itself known.

He quickly located Luffy, who was still holding onto his rod tightly, the fish pulling his brother even further.

Without pause, he quickly tried yanking his brother up but found that he was fastened to the rod. After a few more tugs, Ace knew that the stubborn Luffy wants this big catch and if he could only pull both up onto the surface, Luffy could breathe.

He grabbed hold of the rod and gave it a sharp jerk, knowing that Luffy is going to lose consciousness soon if this keeps up.

This made Ace try harder, exhausting his air in favor of his strength. He could feel the fish struggling less furiously. It must be tiring out. With one mighty tug, he managed to pull the fish into his view.

Ace swam back up to land with his brother, pulling the large fish with him, still struggling weakly to be free of the hook.

He rapidly reeled in the sea creature in and as soon as it touched land, he let it flop around the earth helplessly and attended to his otouto.

"Luffy! Luffy!" Ace called, "Can you hear me? If you can cough."

After a few frightening seconds, Luffy let out a faint cough.

Ace sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," his otouto mumbled.

Ace looked at him confused. "Why?"

"For causing so much trouble to you."

Ace just smiled and patted his brother's damp hair. "Don't be stupid Luffy. You didn't cause any problem at all."

"But I made you pull in the fish too…"

"Luffy, I only did that because you are my otouto and you are the most important thing to me. You make me happy just seeing your bright smile and because you make me happy, I do everything I can to continue seeing that smile. Besides, knowing how stubborn you are, I know you aren't going to let go of that fish anyhow."

"But how does seeing me happy make you happy?" Luffy questioned curiously.

"It's a little hard to explain but I guess that shows just how much I care about you. Now come on. We're going to boast to Shanks about our catch," said Ace, offering Luffy a hand.

"Yeah! Okay!" Luffy said enthusiastically.

"But first you need to be dried up so you don't catch a cold."

"Aw."

Indeed, Ace is the best nii-chan Luffy could ever ask for.

* * *

Simple, short, n' sweet enough to give cavities. Yay cavities!


	2. Shanks Otousan

Another chapter made! This time featuring Shanks. Whoo! Wow, I'm really shooting out ideas recently. They just keep popping into my mind. Like a pea-shooter! Pu pu pu! Erm... Disclaimer's in chapter one and... fine...

**Disclaimer:** Don't own One Piece but you know that already

**Summary:** Shanks, Luffy, and Ace goes on a small family outing.

* * *

"Hey Shanks! Where are we going?" Luffy asked a red-haired man as he led Ace and him down the street. It was curious that the pirate captain wasn't at Makino's bar, where he practically lived. At least, that was mostly where Luffy sees him.

Shanks just grinned widely at them as they stopped at the edge of town. He knelt down to eyelevel to the brothers.

"Can you keep a secret?" Shanks whispered.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically while Ace replied with a yes.

"Well, while I was searching my ship for some maps, I came across something. I must have found it somewhere along my voyage and forgot all about it but among my maps, I found this."

Shanks took out a rolled up piece of paper, torn at some points and yellowed. He carefully unrolled it and showed it to them. Luffy looked absolutely ecstatic.

"Wow Shanks! This is a-"

"Shh! You were going to keep this a secret remember?" Shanks said in a low voice.

Luffy nodded. "Oh yeah."

"A treasure map for our island?" Ace asked, looking at the paper.

Shanks nodded. "Yep. We're going to find it too. I'm sure you two didn't want to miss out so I brought you along."

"Yeah! You're the best Shanks!" Luffy cried happily.

Ace nodded. "Thanks," he said politely.

"Now," Shanks stood up. "Let's head out! Here Luffy, you can help us by telling us where to go next from landmark to landmark." He handed the map to the younger of the two boys.

"Alright!"

"So, what does it say?"

"Well, it shows our town, which is where it starts then there's a dotted line that goes from there to three rocks."

"Yosh! Let's go find then!" And the three trouped down from the neat, cobbled road to a wide dirt path all the while with Luffy exclaiming how great this is.

Soon enough, they spotted three large rocks standing in a circle.

"What next?" Shanks asked, looking down at Luffy.

"Uh… After that, we find a pond near the forest."

And they proceeded to follow the illustrated pictures into the forest to get to the 'X' and with each passing step, Luffy was getting more and more excited.

"I can't wait!" he would cry everyone once in a while.

They chatted while they walked about small things and laughed often, enjoying each other's company. Their journey had a light-hearted atmosphere hanging over them.

Ace had a narcoleptic fit halfway through and so Shanks had to carry him. After the boy woke up, the two laughed at him and Luffy imitated Ace falling face-first into the grass and snoring loudly.

Luffy's punishment for mocking his big brother was a noogie to the head, which had the younger boy begging for mercy.

Finally, after a while, they came upon a small clearing with a few flowers dotting the tall grass that came up to about Luffy's waist. The bright afternoon sun shone down directly into the clearing, giving it an almost ethereal glow.

"Wow! This place is amazing! It's like a secret hideout!" Luffy said in amazement.

"Yeah." Ace said, equally awed at the sight.

Shanks grinned widely at them. "Let's explore here for a while."

Both brothers looked up at him confused. "What's there to explore?" Ace asked.

"Watch," was the answer.

So they stood in silence, Luffy fidgeting slightly until they heard a small rustle that wasn't from the wind. It was rather rhythmic.

"Let's go see what it is." Shanks said, pointing at the patch of rustling grass.

When they finally got to the spot, they looked down and saw a snail. But not just any snail but a Baby Den Den Mushi.

It was sleeping apparently, the wind from its snores making the grass rustle slightly.

The snail was yellow and the shell was a light blue with white sporadic dots, making it look like the sky blemished by clouds.

"Wow! I didn't know Den Den Mushis even lived here," said Luffy.

"Well now you do," Shanks said. He picked it up and it awoke, looking at them curiously. "How's about we find another one so you guys could each have one."

"Yeah!"

"Okay."

After a brief search, Ace found another one. This Den Den Mushi seemed to be chewing on something. Probably food. It had a sky blue shell with sea-foam green wave pattern. The snail itself was cyan.

The small snail gazed at them but didn't make a move to escape.

"Heh. Den Den Mushis usually don't mind humans using them as communication devices because they get free, good food. It's a great bargain really." Shanks said, looking at the snail Ace held up.

"This is so cool Ace! Now we both have one." Luffy said excitedly.

Ace grinned happily and chuckled. "At least now I have a way to find where you are if you ever get stuck under a rock… again."

"Hey! That was only once and it was by accident." Luffy defended and pouted.

Shanks chuckled at the mock fight. "No need to fight right now. We're close to treasure. Keep your Den Den Mushis close. Don't want them crawling away on us."

They continued on, conversations continuing, teasing one another and spending time together.

At last, they made it to the last landmark on the map, which was a tree with a swirl carved into it.

"This is it! That's where the treasure is buried!" Luffy cried.

"All right then. Since I didn't bring any shovels, I guess we'll just have to use our hands to dig for it," said Shanks.

They hadn't even dug a foot before something red began to peek through the brown soil. The three quickly brushed off the remaining dirt and pulled it out of its hole.

The chest wasn't too large but wasn't too small either. It was also quite plain looking.

"Now, let's open it and see what's inside," said Shanks dramatically.

And with deliberate slowness that got Luffy bouncing in excitement, he opened up the chest.

The first thing that happened when the chest was opened was the smell of sugar. The second thing that happened was that they realized the treasure was candy.

Inside the chest were gold chocolate coins and jewels made of candy.

"Candy!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Wow. What sorta pirate would bury candy though?" Ace said, watching his brother tear open the wrapper of a chocolate coin and pop it into his mouth.

Shanks shrugged. "I don't know but this isn't the kind of treasure a pirate like me would want so you guys could have it all."

"Really? Thanks Shanks! You're the best!" Luffy said through a mouthful of candy.

Ace had also opened a wrapper from a coin and took a bite out of the chocolate. It was so sweet and delicious.

Just then, something clicked into Ace and he looked at the chest with wide eyes.

"Oh no," he groaned, slapping himself.

Luffy plus candy. Self-explanatory.

He swore that the red head had done it on purpose just to annoy him so he glared at the pirate.

Shanks just let out a laugh and ruffled Ace's hair. "C'mon. It's candy. Don't tell me you don't like this stuff as much as your brother."

"No one could like food more than Luffy." Ace mumbled but he had to say, this candy tasted good.

After their little adventure and had gotten back into town, the sun was already starting to dip down into the horizon, golden orange rays slipped across rooftops and windows from the sleepy sun.

Shanks carried the chest for them as he walked the two home with their new snail transmitters.

"So you two had fun?" Shanks asked with a merry smile.

"Yeah! It was great! I'm glad you found that map Shanks," said Luffy.

"Yeah. Today was a lot of fun." Ace agreed.

"Then we'll do this more sometime," said Shanks loudly which the two brothers readily agreed upon.

That night, after he made sure Luffy and Ace were both asleep, Shanks smiled happily, satisfied how the day ended up.

He headed back to the ship to see his first mate, Ben, sitting on the railings.

"The boys still at the bar?" Shanks asked.

"Yep. So how was your family outing?" Ben joked.

Shanks punched him lightly on his arm. "It was great. Ace and Luffy loved the treasure hunting and they both got a Baby Den Den Mushi."

"Did they find out you were the one who planned the whole thing?"

"I don't think Luffy did but Ace probably knows," said Shanks, chuckling and sat down beside his first mate.

Shanks planted this from the start. He had taken some candy and filled a chest then buried it somewhere, making a mark on a tree. He then drenched a piece of paper with tea and proceeded to rip and crinkle it a bit to make it look old. Afterwards, he drew the map. The pirate captain did all this just last night to make sure Ace and Luffy didn't see him do this.

Ben grinned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they were your sons more than anything."

"Well if they aren't my sons, who are they?" Shanks asked jokingly.

* * *

**A/N:** STOOOOOP! Before you start coming onto me about how Den Den Mushis don't live on the island well... I don't care so ha! I'm not listeninnnnng! (stuffing fingers into my ears and sings to random tunes off-key)

Seriously though according to a SBS (It's like a Q and A for One Piece manga but it's more like an area for monkeying around than anything else) Oda says that a Den Den Mushi isn't always used as a telephone and they lived in natural habitats so I thought ah why not? It's not like he specified where they could be found anyway.

I also don't know if the colors on the shells are painted or they naturally come in different colors but looking back at the anime where Robin holds a Den Den Mushi with a white shell and red polka dots, I kinda doubt that the members of Baroque Works would spend their time coloring the shell of a snail. Oh well I guess Luffy and Ace could paint the shells if they don't like the colors of the snails :P


	3. Makino Okaasan

Hallo hallo. It's yet another story about Luffy's family written remarkably fast! 'Cuz I'm that awesome. Naw I'm just joking 'round. In case you're curious how I'm spitting out chapters so fast, it's cuz I had the first couple of chapters written out on Word just in case my muse goes dead on me. Author's block is the last thing anyone would want. Especially in the middle of a story DX

Thanks for pointing out one of teh spelling error XxStrawberryKittyxX much appreciated and has been fixed ;)

And to answer your questions, this fic is (as shown) not a oneshot well sorta. Depends on how you want to look at the chapters. They could be oneshots in one big fic or they could be chapters. It's up to you really. And Luffy's family is not limited to Shanks, Makino, and Ace. Luffy's nakama is basically his family too so I'm going to write about their relationships too.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own One Piece yadda yadda yadda... This is getting so old DX

**Summary:** Poor Ace has his head in circles trying to help Luffy get over his sickness. Luckily, Makino always knows what to do.

* * *

"Makino! Makino!"

The owner of Party's Bar looked up to see a very disheveled Ace standing at the doorway, panting for breath and she knew it had something to do with Luffy.

"What's the matter Ace?" she asked with concern.

"Luffy got sick! And the doctor isn't around because he's on vacation. Shanks isn't here either and his illness doesn't seem to go away. I don't know what to do anymore," said Ace frantically.

"It's okay Ace. I'll close up the bar for today and help out," said Makino quickly.

When Makino arrived at Luffy's messy room, she immediately saw something wrong when she saw the boy curled up under his covers and whimpering as he slept probably from fever induced nightmares. On his forehead was a wet towel that was half on the forehead and the other half on the pillow due to having turned around in his sleep.

On the nightstand was a basin of water and beside the bed was a bucket that was probably for vomit.

"When did Luffy start having this sickness Ace?" Makino asked as she checked up Luffy.

"I don't know really but when I went into his room three days ago to wake him up at eight, he was breathing irregularly. I felt his forehead and it was really warm. I tried everything but nothing seems to work and Luffy is really suffering when he wakes up," said Ace, biting his lip.

"It's okay Ace I'll help. You don't need to worry so much I know how to handle this. I want you to remain calm," said Makino soothingly, kneeling down to eye-level.

Ace, who seemed to be on the verge to tears, took a deep breath.

Makino smiled softly. "Okay now tell me Ace. When you give Luffy water, does he drink it?"

Ace shook his head.

"Does he go to the bathroom often?"

Again Ace shook his head.

"Did Luffy tell you what's bothering him?"

"Yes. He has a sore throat and even said his throat was annoying him. He also throws up a lot." Ace said.

Makino nodded understandingly. "Don't worry Ace it's just a fever but this one just so happens to be just a little more bad than the normal fever."

Ace seems to be relieved.

"So he'll be okay."

Makino nodded encouragingly. "Yes. With the proper care he'll be fine. In fact, I had one of these myself."

She looks at Ace carefully.

"Ace, let me take it from here. You look tired. You probably haven't slept in those three days Luffy got sick. I'll take over. You don't need to worry," said Makino gently but sternly.

The older of the two brothers seemed unsure but in the end nodded and allowed the woman to take over. He trusted Makino because she had been looking after them since heck knows how long. She knows just what to do in many situations and always has solutions.

Ace and Luffy had turned to Makino whenever they needed advice especially if the two boys get into an argument, even though it was rare and she offers comfort if they need it.

Makino took away the towel and put it back in the basin just as Luffy was waking up again.

He blearily looked at the woman and asked in a raspy voice, "Makino? Where's Ace?"

"Ace is taking a break right now. He hasn't taken care of himself much after you fell ill," the bar owner replied.

Luffy nodded as Makino took the basin.

"Luffy, I'll be right back with something that will give the water you'll need," she said before leaving and waiting for Luffy to confirm that he'll be alright by himself for a little while. He nodded again, allowing Makino to go.

"Okay. I'll be back in just a little while then."

As the woman reached the lower floors and into the living room, she spotted Ace snoring fitfully on the rug. He probably won't wake up for a few hours.

Makino lifted Ace from the floor and went back upstairs. She placed him on his bed and pulled the covers over him, gently running her fingers through his hair before she left.

Afterwards, Makino headed into the kitchen and managed to find an empty cube tray in the freezer and some orange juice. She poured the juice into the tray and put it back into the freezer.

In the meantime, the bartender started to make some vegetable juice from the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage found in the fridge.

While cooking, she checked the freezer every once in a while and finally, deemed the orange ice cubes solid enough to stick a toothpick into it then proceeded to allow the cubes to freeze over entirely.

After the soup was done, she put it into a bowl and on a tray along with a spoon, taking it upstairs with her.

When Makino returned to Luffy's room, the boy had sat himself up on the bed and staring at the wall looking bored but head too stuffed up to think of anything else to do.

"Hello Luffy. I made some soup for you," Makino announced, putting the tray on the nightstand.

Luffy shook his head. "Don't want it."

"Oh well. I guess it can't be helped then. This delicious soup will just have to be thrown away," she said, giving a small sigh.

The smell of the soup was enticing, making Luffy change his mind.

"Okay fine. I'll drink the soup." And the boy took the tray and began to slowly take spoonfuls of soup into his mouth.

Makino nodded and smiled, satisfied.

"Hey Luffy," she said, catching the attention of the younger brother. "I'm going to go draw a bath for you. It'll help with your fever and make you more comfortable."

"Okay," he said quietly, throat still sore.

Makino once again left the room but headed for the bathroom this time. She opened the faucet and adjusted temperature until she was satisfied, making sure the water was lukewarm. When she deemed the water level high enough, she shut off the tap.

By the time Makino returned, Luffy had finished his meal with the tray placed on his nightstand once again.

"Okay Luffy. Let's go. Bathtime," Makino sang.

Luffy groggily obeyed and followed Makino.

After getting into the tub, the young boy seems to have regained a little of his playfulness, playing with the water as Makino washed up Luffy with a sponge.

"How are you feeling Luffy?" Makino asked.

"Better. At least I don't feel like throwing up every five minutes," replied Luffy in his raspy voice but he sounded pleased.

"That's really good to hear. At this rate, you'll be better in no time."

"I hope so. After this, I'm never going to be sick ever again," Luffy declared, splashing around the water.

After Luffy had taken a bath, Makino had steered him back into his room.

The bartender stated that she'll be right back with some treats and not long after, came back with a plate of orange ice cubes, toothpicks embedded into the frozen treat as a handle.

Luffy had happily begun eating the frozen orange juice.

Afterwards, the boy had grown sleepy and was currently fast asleep.

'His fever's getting better,' Makino observed. 'Ace will be very happy to hear this although if he had continued to take care of Luffy, he'd get the same results as now.'

By the end of the day, Luffy had awoken and asked for food, his throat no longer as sore and Makino gladly made a sandwich.

Ace was overjoyed to see that his little brother wasn't suffering as much and that the fever has cooled down quite a lot.

"Thanks Makino. I couldn't have done this alone," said Ace with a relieved smile.

Makino smiled back. "I know you couldn't. That's what a mother is for," she said and laughed.

* * *

**A/N:** Ah yes. The classic 'Luffy-gets-sick' scenario. I actually _researched_ about the fever. No kidding. This type of fever does kinda exist. It's a bit more severe form of the common fever.

Also, those orange ice cubes, I tried making those a long time ago. Yeah with orange juice too. It tasted more like water than the actual orange juice, much to my dissatisfaction but little Luffy needs to be hydrated so I decided to throw it in XD

Anywho, I'm not too satisifed with this chapter. I frown upon it! :( I might needa fix it soon... not now cuz I'm a procrastinator XP


	4. Garp Ojiisan

Yep another chapter. Whoo. Anyway, fixed the errors thanks to Emmett's evil vampire bunnies.

**Disclaimer:** Maybe if I get rich enough someday...

**Summary:** Garp's unconditional love has become the fear of Luffy and Ace.

* * *

Life was never easy with their grandfather, Garp.

Ace sighed almost desperately as his little brother, Luffy and he hid themselves in a sack of clothing in a closet. Luffy was clutching to Ace tightly, biting his lip and praying that the old man would never find them.

As if stranding Luffy in the middle of a forest then pushing him down a deep ravine and finally setting him afloat on balloons wasn't enough, the old man wants them to become Marines against their own will.

'What's so great about Marines anyway?' Ace often thought to himself, 'I mean, pirates are free but Marines are stuck serving under the World Government.'

He also couldn't understand Garp's rough treatment against them that he labeled 'love.' Heck if that was love, he'd rather not stick around Garp's actions for the ones he hated.

Luffy let out a small squeak as they heard their grandfather storm past the closet calling out for them.

Garp scared the living daylights out of Luffy and every time the old Marine came towards him, he would run the other way and find Ace or hide.

Today was no exception and when they saw Garp carrying rope and headed their way, they didn't stick around to ask about it. They ran for their lives.

After a while, there was silence. No Garp calling for them anymore but they had to be careful because the old Marine could be slick sometimes. He had caught them off guard several times when they thought the old man had given up.

Minutes ticked by.

Even though Luffy wasn't normally one who could stay in one spot for long without making a loud noise or jumping around, he would rather not be found by Garp and stayed uncharacteristically silent. This often made Ace angry with their grandfather for forcing Luffy to act unlike himself and scaring his little brother.

Even more minutes ticked by and Ace bravely cracked open the door a bit to peek around.

Coast is clear.

He opened the door a little wider and checked his surroundings. No sign of their grandpa.

He signaled Luffy that it was okay to come out now from the stuffy closet and closed the door softly behind him.

"Come on Luffy let's go outside," whispered Ace.

Luffy nodded and they quietly crept through the house, making sure that Garp wasn't there before scurrying down the hallway and stairs, and out the front door.

They didn't breath a sigh of relief until they were nice and far from their house among a field of wheat.

Ace smiled and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Okay little brother, I can't hang out with you today because I have to buy food. It's not like old gramps is going to do it," Ace said, mumbling out the last part.

Luffy nodded and grinned brightly. "Sure, Ace."

His older brother patted him on the head. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

"Yeah, yeah."

After waving good-bye, Luffy decided on what to do next. He didn't want to go home just in case Garp was still there and shopping with Ace is boring.

'I guess I'll go explore," Luffy thought happily and headed into the forest.

When he arrived into the forest, he started climbing trees, fighting imaginary enemies, and pretending to look for treasure that took the form of acorns and various other things that caught Luffy's attention.

After a while, Luffy decided to head home, sure that his grandfather had given up looking for his brother and him. He usually tries to catch them in the morning to give more time for training to become a Marine.

However, when he actually looked thoroughly at his surroundings, he realized that he couldn't find the way he had come from.

Deciding to just go straight until he hit the edge of the forest, he started walking.

However, after an hour or so, Luffy was positive he was going in circles but he couldn't be too sure. Everything looked the same around him. It was also getting late. The forest grew darker and darker, the sky peeking through the leaves were already a yellowish-orange hue.

Luffy bit his lip, scared and worried that he'd never find his way home. Sure his grandfather had thrown him into the forest at night once but Ace had chased after him so he was fine. But this time, he was alone with no one to comfort him and find their way home again.

It was also rapidly getting dark and even though Luffy didn't want to admit it, every sound was making him jump, the shadows seemed to take the form of a monster, and he swore he spotted blood red eyes glaring at him once or twice from the surrounding darkness.

He desperately wished Ace were with him, knowing that his big brother won't let anything happen to him.

So, lost, alone, and scared he sat under a tree and drew himself in, making himself as small as possible and tried not to cry.

Night was upon him now and owls started awakening to hunt for food, their hooting echoing through the seemingly empty forest.

Luffy heard some soft footsteps, muffled a bit by the grass and he froze. It was headed his way.

Although it might have been a monster or animal, it could just as likely be his big brother Ace coming to look for him so he lifted his head up from his knees and his heart immediately dropped a couple of meters.

"Ah-ha! Found ya Luffy," came the gruff voice of his one and only grandfather, Garp.

Stunned and alarmed, Luffy immediately stood up.

Fear set in on him and he didn't know what to do. He could run deeper into the forest in hopes to lose the Marine and get even more lost or stand his ground and wait for a certain doom.

'But, I can't get even more lost than I am now," Luffy thought, biting his lip.

He turned to run but a large hand had already grabbed hold of the back of his collar.

"Where you going now Luffy? I already found you. Is this the way to treat your own grandfather?"

He didn't answer and hoped that by some miracle, Garp would let go of him so he could flee, heading, hopefully, to the direction of home.

"Ah I see. You're scared of me," Garp said, chuckling. He set Luffy down and patted him on the head. He then laughed loudly. "Can't be helped. I am a terrifying man and if you're going to be a pirate Luffy, you're going to have to deal with me."

Luffy stared wide-eyed. Going against grandpa would take an enormous amount of guts and somehow, he feels he'll never get over the fear Garp had already inflicted upon him.

"Just don't run. I'm taking you home. You know it hurts your dear grandpa's heart that his own grandsons run away from him," Garp said dramatically.

Luffy couldn't help it and burst out, "Well if you didn't make us do crazy stunts, then maybe we wouldn't run from you!"

Garp let out another howl of laughter. "You could talk after all! Well I did all this for your sakes! To become strong men when you grow up!"

"That's not how you do it!"

"Then show me a better way!"

"Well for starters, don't throw people down cliffs or tie them to balloons and make them drift over the sea when they clearly can't swim yet!"

"It's to help you gain experience for these types of situations! You need to toughen up and see the dangers of heading off. If you're going to be a seaman Luffy, you never know what'll happen to you so your dear gramps had taken it upon himself to see to it that you grow up."

"Well it's a bit much right now gramps!" Luffy said exasperatedly. "Doing those stuff could kill us!"

"Well if you know the dangers, then you'll work harder!" Garp merely replied.

"Me and Ace have our own ways to train and don't need you to interfere," said Luffy, pouting.

"So you could take care of yourselves then?"

"Yes!"

"Very well then! Starting tomorrow, you and Ace shall camp out on the mountains all by yourselves!"

"What? Are you crazy? There's bandits on that mountain!"

Once they got home, the house was empty but after a few more minutes, Ace had burst through the door and a look of relief ran through his face. When he saw that Garp was with Luffy, he immediately began checking for any bruising their grandfather would have caused.

Garp seemed to be somewhat disappointed that Ace would think so low of him to hit his grandson when he's lost and scared in the forest so he voiced it aloud.

Ace just gave him a look that said 'I wouldn't put it past you.'

"It is such a shame that my own two grandsons think so low of their own grandfather who has watched over them since birth!" exclaimed Garp.

* * *

**A/N: **Yep. I could tell Garp really does care about Luffy when he visited him after rescuing Robin and their relationship is so comical XD

Ah and wouldn't it be fun if all of Luffy's family met at one point hint hint nudge nudge


	5. Big Brother Zoro

Yes! It's another chapter! Kinda got a minor writer's block on this XO But I managed to come through which is good. Not sure if I got the people here on character cuz it's my first time writing about people other than Luffy n' Ace but yeah XP I've decided to write the chapters according to the order each member joined so of course Zoro would be first.

**Disclaimer:** ...

**Summary:** Looking after Luffy is a tough job but Zoro could handle it.

* * *

"Luffy! Stop bungee jumping off the crow's nest!" Zoro called exasperatedly to his, hard to believe it but it's true, captain.

Luffy frowned. "Why not Zoro?"

"Because you might bungee jump off the ship and _I'll_ have to go after you!"

Indeed, it was a very windy day and if Luffy wasn't careful, he might be blown off and into the water below. Zoro was definitely not in the mood to go swimming in testy waters at the moment.

Luffy whined at his first mate but when the latter continued to yell at him to stop, he finally complied.

Everyone else was busy with their own thing today so as you could imagine, Luffy was bored with nothing to do.

Zoro had intended to take a nap but found he couldn't sleep with Luffy's antics.

At first, Zoro could take the constant whining of his captain about being bored but then, he started to grow disturbed as Luffy started to try to entertain himself, and finally, the swordsman was chasing him around the ship trying to stop him from doing outrageous things.

"Luffy! Stop bouncing around the deck!" Zoro gritted out, attempting to catch the wayward captain. Nami is going to kill them both soon for making so much racket.

Luffy just continued to laugh and danced out of the clutches of his first mate.

Zoro was a hundred percent positive that Luffy thought all this was a game. He wanted to stop but if he did, who knows what kind of trouble the raven-haired teen would get into.

As Luffy continued running around the deck with Zoro chasing after him, a sudden strong gust of wind blew the rubber boy's hat off his head.

"Ah! My hat!"

Without a minute to lose, Luffy quickly tried to snatch it back from the wind's grasp. But it was much faster than the young captain's ability to stretch and whisked Luffy's precious hat far off to the unknowns.

Zoro had to practically fling himself onto Luffy to prevent him from jumping off the ship to pursue his hat.

"Zoro! Get off!"

"You idiot! If you go after it, you'll drown!" Zoro yelled as he tried to restrain Luffy.

"Will it be too much for you two to shut up for once?" came an irritated female voice.

Luffy just looked at her sulkily. "My hat…"

Nami looked upon the young captain's head and was surprised to find his trademark straw hat gone.

"What happened to it?" she asked, frowning.

"It got blown away. This idiot here tried to lunge after it," Zoro explained jabbing his thumb toward the direction of Luffy, who seemed to be trying to relocate his hat even after the wind must have carried it far away by now.

"Oh I see. Well I'm not sure but if we're lucky, it may be in the next island we're headed towards. It's named Tatsumaki Island because it's in the 'eye of the hurricane' so to speak," explained Nami.

"So?" Luffy asked, confused.

"It means that the wind surrounding the island blows towards it," Nami elaborated with a sigh of annoyance. "Your hat would be blown towards the island too."

Luffy's face instantly lit up. "Really? That's great! My hat will be found then," he said happily.

Neither of his crewmates dared voice out the possibility that the hat might be lost forever anyway.

Once the ship reached the island, the violent winds settled down into a lulling breeze, a sharp contrast to what it had encountered at sea.

The Tatsumaki Island was mostly mountainous and rocky with only a few trees clinging onto the mountainside. It looked quite barren but slightly foreboding as the sun positioned itself behind the cliffs of the mountain, casting the other side in shadow. Several windmills could be seen perched on cliffs with the roaring waves smashing below.

Luffy had immediately sprung up and off the ship once they had docked, Nami and Zoro not allowing him to catapult himself onto the island because of the random outbursts of wind that may change Luffy's course, plunging him into the water.

"Oi Luffy!" Zoro called after his hasty captain but he was already too far. The swordsman mumbled after his breath and moved to go after Luffy just in case the boy is up to something stupid.

"Don't get lost! And be back by sunset!" Nami scolded after him, which Zoro only waved off.

The older man decided to look around the town clinging by the sea. Luffy might be running around like the village idiot calling for his hat. However, somehow Zoro ended up on the edge of town, a rocky trail steadily leading up.

Then, he heard the unmistakable shout of Luffy calling for his hat.

Zoro sighed and ran towards the source finally finding his captain shooting from one rock face to another all the while calling out for his hat.

"Luffy!" Zoro called.

"Oh! Zoro! Are you here to look for my hat too?" Luffy cheerfully asked.

The first mate sighed. "Yeah. And to keep you out of trouble."

"Okay then!" And the energetic boy bounded off again.

Zoro followed the boy as best he could and after a while, they were on top of a sharp cliff overlooking the town in the distance far below. The cliff, the swordsman observed, had no rock outcroppings, making it impossible to climb. Below the steep cliff was a lake with jagged rocks jutting out as sharp as the teeth of an open maw of a waiting Sea King. A small distance off was one of the few trees that could manage to survive the rocky scenery.

"Oh! Look how far up we are," Luffy said, peering over the edge. Suddenly, he spotted something.

"Hey look Zoro! Look at that! I think that's my hat!"

"How can you be so sure? We're all the way up here," Zoro replied skeptically.

"Well it's yellow! So it must be my hat!" came the overly simplistic answer.

"Luffy…"

"Well, I'm going to go get it!"

Luffy stretched his arm to reach the hat at the bottom but couldn't reach far enough, causing him to frown.

Zoro almost choked when Luffy looked as though he's going to jump over the edge.

"Luffy! What the hell are you doing?" Zoro yelled.

The boy in question looked the swordsman in confusion and replied, "Getting my hat back of course."

Zoro felt like he wanted to smack himself or more appropriately, Luffy.

"Luffy, you'll die if you jump down from here," Zoro said, scowling.

"Well I'll just break my fall by wrapping myself on one of those rocks sticking out form the water," Luffy said as though falling to his doom was an everyday occurrence.

Zoro had no doubt about his captain's abilities but what Luffy was doing was just careless and he didn't know if something might go wrong. It was best to stick to the safe side.

"No Luffy. You are not going to jump down this cliff. We'll walk down to the lake."

"But it takes too long," Luffy whined. Then he seemed to brighten up at an idea.

Without a moment to waste, the young captain grabbed onto two rocks and stretched himself back.

Zoro's eyes widen in terror.

No. Oh hell no!

"Ready? Here we go!"

And he let loose, sending a horrified Zoro and a laughing Luffy into the air and over the cliff and down into the rocky ground below.

Oh Zoro was going to kill Luffy when this is over.

The swordsman was sent hurling into the tree and finally landing on the pebbled ground not too far away. A few seconds later and a certain rubber boy landed beside him, laughing merrily.

Zoro growled. "I could have died from that you know."

Luffy just grinned. "But you're Zoro so I know you wouldn't die."

The green-haired man just grumbled, dusting himself off and headed toward the lake.

Sure enough, in the middle was a certain trademark straw hat. Luffy gave a shout of victory and quickly grabbed it from the bottom.

Zoro sighed, glad that the ordeal was over. "Next time, don't think of doing anything as stupid as jumping over a cliff with sharp rocks at the bottom."

"Sure," Luffy chirruped, not really listening as he examined his hat to make sure no damage was done to it.

Zoro didn't believe his captain will keep to his word but ruffled his hair anyway.

Luffy laughed. "Hey Zoro! Thanks for looking after me. You remind me of Ace sometimes!"

'So this is what it was like to be Luffy's big brother,' Zoro rolled his eyes, feeling sorry for the guy.

* * *

**A/N:** Siiiigh... Hm? What? What were you expecting? O.o Shoo!


	6. Nami Oneechan

Ah finally got this chapter finished. I wasn't sure what to write for Nami so I thought it came out a bit sloppy. Yep this chapter is 'bout Nami. It was originally gonna be Usopp, Sanji, then Nami but I thought that Luffy had already considered her part of his nakama the moment he got to know her more properly.

**Summary:** Nami contemplates Luffy as she angrily cleans up her wrecked room.

* * *

Nami slammed the door to her mapping room resolutely and a few seconds later, she could hear Luffy's whiny voice saying sorry and it was an accident.

Leaning against the door, she scanned her room despite the dread that filled her being.

Luffy had accidentally launched himself into her mapmaking quarters and now, everything was a mess.

Just thinking about it made her stomach turn in fury. Who knows how many things the idiot captain had destroyed, including her hard worked on maps and to top it all off, the damage is going to cost money, which she is not happy to spend.

Of course, everybody got a taste of her anger and blamed most of the crew for not keeping an eye out on their stupid captain. Luffy, of course, got the brunt of most of her anger.

Nami sighed and began to clean up the room, seething all the while.

Sometimes, she wondered why she even thought to join this insane crew. They were so random and disorderly, it was a shock they had made it alive in the Grand Line so far.

Heck, they can't even take care of themselves properly. When she had first met Zoro and Luffy, they didn't even have an adequate ship but that wasn't too important.

What amazed her was the fact that they didn't even buy at least supplies of food and water opting to, instead, fish for their meals and hope to strike it rich. Not only that but the two numbskulls didn't even know the difference between north and south so they were just mindlessly drifting in dangerous seas until they got to where they needed to go.

Then Usopp had joined and they got a new ship. Now there was one more idiot and who ever knew that he and Luffy would be playmates and wreck havoc and become so noisy.

Then, she had stolen their vessel and everyone came to save her village and her from a fate that spun only sadness and misery.

Nami allowed a small smile to grace her face as she remembered the day she found her freedom again and she would be eternally grateful. But then she was once again, drawn in by reality and a scowl quickly replaced the smile.

Sanji had joined and he wasn't so bad. At least the food problem was taken care of but now, he and Zoro just can't stop lunging at each other's throats and fights for god only knows what reason.

Chopper wasn't so bad if only the doctor didn't act like an idiot like two of his other crewmates.

Robin was the only other sane person on this ship but she was so distant and far away.

Nami had often wondered how everyone else would have fared if she hadn't met them. She knew that they would get lost indefinitely but also, they could also run into almost twenty storms in one week.

How many times had she detected a storm and told her crewmates to brace themselves or avoid it if possible?

The Going Merry was a great ship but it could only stand so much battering until it sank. Nami decided she didn't like the idea of her nakama sinking into the watery depths and quickly tried to think of something else.

Nami was also the financial supervisor.

Of course she loved money and would do almost anything to get her hands on more but part of the reason why she seems so greedy is because you never know why you would need the money.

Working for years under Arlong made her realize just how important money was and having a lot of money may get her unstuck in a nasty situation and thus she saved and stashed. She kept in check how much money should be spent on supplies, repairs, and miscellaneous things.

If her idiot crewmates were given the money, they would probably spend it all on stupid and pointless things. Usopp would buy all kinds of junk and Luffy would have bought more meat than was necessary. They would be broke within the week.

She had often thought, not for the first time, how much an idiot Luffy was. He was rash, careless, and too overly annoying which is why Nami thought it was impossible for him to continue on without her.

Ever since she had officially joined Luffy's crew and even before, she had been making sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible even if she wasn't conscious of it. She kept everything in check and made sure everyone wasn't being too overly stupid.

Nami felt the overwhelming pulse of a bad headache at that. She should ask Chopper for medicine later. It was common to associate Luffy with headaches.

But, although Luffy more than enough frayed her temper and nerves, he didn't seem to mind Nami's violent tendencies toward his head.

He even trusted his precious straw hat to Nami. No one else could even so much as touch it if it could be helped and truthfully, it made the navigator feel special and happy to be trusted so much. Nevertheless, he was still an idiot.

But after thinking such a thought, Nami felt some of her fury dissipate and despite herself, a sort of pride. She felt like she wanted to continue being angry but at the same time, to let it go. Darn the fact that she couldn't stay angry with the childish captain although the way he could make her consecutively mad was another thing entirely.

Nami bit her lip in indecision and in the end, decided to work on some of her wrecked maps to work the rest of her frustration out.

A few hours later, the navigator held up the last map. Luckily, only about five of her maps got torn but not completely ripped up. She stood from her desk and opened the door outside, the salty sea air fully assaulted her. She stretched and sighed contentedly.

She allowed her eyes to stray to Luffy where he was being chased around by a very irate Zoro, laughing loudly. Usopp and Chopper were also whooping and cheering, which, Nami was sure, didn't pacify the swordsman one bit.

'Oh well, it was the little brother's job to annoy their older sisters,' Nami thought amusedly.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you guys thought it was at least decent DX


	7. Grandpa Usopp

It's relatively short but I finally got around to posting this.

**Summary:** Usopp just loves to spend time with Luffy and Chopper even if repairs still have to be done.

* * *

"And that is how the great Captain Usopp-sama saved an entire island from the horrible swarm of dragons!"

"Wow!"

"Cool!"

Usopp smiled in satisfaction and soaked in all the compliments about how brave he is by Luffy and Chopper.

The sniper's stories never cease to entertain and amaze the two even when the words coming from his mouth were obviously fake. The rest of the crew however, sometimes find themselves grateful of Usopp for keeping two of the most childish people onboard preoccupied. When others walk by them, they might marvel at how the two look like children sitting for story time around the liar.

Usopp stretched and stood from his previous sitting position on the Going Merry's rail.

"Well I need to repair the mast. Again," Usopp said sighing as he said again.

"Okay! Tell us another one of your adventures next time then!" Chopper said enthusiastically.

Usopp nodded, showing his teeth as he grinned. "Of course! Usopp-sama has braved a lot of dangers and has a lot of stories to share about the defeat of evil!"

There were cheers and the other two ran off somewhere.

Usopp took out his tools and started to fix up the cracks as best he could. The last storm had really done them all in and a mysterious sharp crack was enough to alert everyone that the wind managed to crack the mast.

The sniper examined the fixed crack above the metal plates that wrapped themselves around the thick wood and seemed satisfied with his repairs before moving on.

Repairs were a handful and much more frequent now that it is clear that the Merry getting weaker and weaker and looked more and more like a rag doll ship. Usopp seemed to be the only one with enough expertise to repair the damages at least decently enough so that the ship doesn't start to fall apart halfway to the next island.

Halfway through his repairs, Luffy came bouncing towards him.

"Hey Usopp! Are you done with repairs yet?" he asked in his usual enthusiastic and loud voice.

"Almost," Usopp replied, hammering in another nail.

"Usopp!" called a small voice.

Chopper came skidding to stand next to Luffy.

"Usopp! Wanna go fishing once you're done? Sanji says that we'll need more food since we're already halfway through our food supplies and the next island is a week away."

The aforementioned sniper grinned. "Of course! The great Usopp-sama will catch us a hundred fish!"

"Hurry up then Usopp!" Chopper urged excitedly.

Thus immediately after repairs were finished, Usopp had gladly grabbed a fishing pole and began boasting about how he was the best fisherman in the whole world.

The ship was filled with the usual sounds of Sanji doting over Nami and Robin, Zoro complaining about the cook in a gruff and sleepy voice followed by their heated insult exchange, and Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy's loud voices.

"Ah Usopp! You caught something!" exclaimed Chopper.

"Heh! Watch as I reel in a giant fish!" Usopp said in a strained voice as he tried to pull up whatever was at the end of the line.

Luffy and Chopper both watched in anticipation and finally, with a great flourish, the liar managed to uproot the fish.

It flew through the air and with a great smack, landed on the wooden deck, flopping around.

It wasn't very impressive and was smaller than average but Usopp still picked it up with pride, the sea creature still struggling against the hook. Luffy sniggered at the small fish and Chopper seemed to laugh with him.

"This," he said dramatically, brandishing the fish around, "Isn't just any fish guys."

"Eh? It's not?" came the confused response from Luffy.

"Nope! It may look like an ordinary fish but to the skilled eye of Captain Usopp-sama, I can tell that this fish escaped from the stomach of a winged carp!"

"A winged carp?"

"Yep! A winged carp…"

And Usopp went on telling them the story as per usual with Luffy and Chopper as his ever attentive audience.

"Hey, grandpa Usopp. If you're done telling your story of your good old days to your grandchildren, I would need more fish than that for dinner," said Sanji, exhaling some smoke. Then as an afterthought, "Are you sure you got all the damages on the ship because I know how much you want to set aside work for your grandchildren…"

"Grandpa! I'm not a grandpa!" Usopp yelled. "I'm not even eighteen yet!"

* * *

**A/N:** I was originally going to make Usopp an uncle but then I thought that Usopp fits grandpa better.


	8. Going Merry Obaasan

Wow this is even shorter than the last chapter. That kinda lets me down. I seriously hope I pick up the slack.

**Summary:** The Going Merry isn't in her prime anymore but she'll do the best she can for her nakama.

* * *

The Going Merry rested in navy blue waters under the bright white light of the moon accompanied by pinpricks of stars.

Her crewmates were all asleep and as she continued to be bobbed by the gentle waves and wind, she slowly rocked the occupants currently sleeping hoping they might have a better rest.

The Going Merry wasn't much to look at. She had a lot of patchwork jobs that could barely hold her together courtesy of Usopp, the only one who could decently fix her. Her mast was broken and had metal sheets wrapped around it and nailed. Her figurehead's neck was snapped and also had metal sheets to keep it from falling off again.

In short, she was getting very old and beat up and it won't be much longer before she will sink. Her most vital part had been broken which the crew had yet to find out about, she was certain.

The Going Merry continued to sit peacefully upon calm waters, the waves splashing against her very much scratched wood.

All the damages however, were like battle scars, showing her experience in the sea. Everything that she saw, no other ship could have ever seen. What's more, she had a caring crew that made her feel loved, enough to make her alive.

She had carried this crew so far, providing them shelter and protection, although it was mostly her crewmates that did the protecting from storms, cannonballs, or any other things.

Her crew cared for her so she cared for them, making sure to sail faster, smoother, and offer as many prevention to danger to the best of her efforts. It was a shame really because mostly the wind and waves determined her speed and roughness of the route but she tries anyway. Anything for her crew.

She wonders how long she has been traveling the mysterious waters of the Grand Line with her nakama.

A long time she was sure.

During the storm when they left Louge Town, when the crew broke the barrel as a mark of the beginning of their adventure, she had also stated a dream. That dream was to travel all over the world with the very people standing on her deck.

That was a long time ago.

She's old now. Broken in more places than one but she still seeks to journey with everyone of the crew. Anywhere they want to go, she'll take them there. She'll even fly again for their sakes after all, she did fly straight up right into the sea of clouds.

It was because of them that she became wise to the seas. She has learned the currents of the water, clashing weather of the islands, the extraordinary phenomenon of the Grand Line.

She owes much to them. They brought her to life. They brought livelihood and joy. They brought memories.

It hurts her heart that one day; they will have to say good-bye. She didn't want to look at things at such pessimistic view but she knows that it is simply the truth. She'll continue to carry her crewmates as long as she is able to until she was sure that she would simply split in half from the damages.

It made her sad to part ways with them. She had wanted to travel the whole world with them but it simply wasn't her fate. She knew better than to continue carrying them of course. If she had sank out in the middle of this vast the unpredictable ocean, there would almost be no way they could be saved.

She will simply have to pass the torch to another ship. She knows to be prepared for this to happen, the grim day when she will part.

Indeed she was old. Her wood was cracked and scratched, holes that were ill repaired, slashes, broken planks.

She will resign herself to carry her crewmates as far as she was allowed. Then, at her final destination, she will go down happily.

Yes, the Going Merry was worn but she still has fight in her. She will continue to watch over her crewmates until the absolute end. Like a loving grandmother quietly watching her grandchildren.

* * *

**A/N:** Sigh... I miss the Going Merry. The episode where they had the Viking's Funeral made me cry.


	9. Cousin Sanji

**Summary: **Sanji's patience with Luffy is limited but he'll still follow him anyway.

* * *

Sanji had all the patience in the world when it came to cooking. The perfect dish can't be done rashly, it had to be prepared smoothly.

He also had all the patience in the world when it came to women. To him, they were shining gems that should be handled gently because they were valuable.

Sanji had all the impatience in the world when it came to the ravenous black hole named Monkey D. Luffy. He was always barging into his beautiful kitchen trying to mess up his patiently prepared meals. All the hard work would be gone and he won't be able to serve the ladies on this ship.

The cook wondered for the hundredth time since joining the crew why he had even thought of being part of a gang of pirates as he chased Luffy around the table, cigarette threatening to be bitten in half.

Even if he had successfully kicked Luffy out, the captain would no doubt try to get in again and it wasn't unusual for him to try to break into the fridge at least five times in one day. That's five times Sanji would have to expend his strength to lift his foot and boot Luffy all the way across the deck.

Heck sometimes he feels as though marimo head isn't as bad as Luffy. At least all the guy does is sleep all day like the useless piece of vegetation he was named after.

"But Sanjiiiiiii! I'm so hungryyyyy!"

The aforementioned cook twitched and this time, the cigarette held true to its promise and broke off from its stem. That damn whiny voice only Luffy could pull off even though the guy was practically a teen!

"Wait 'til dinner like everyone else!" Sanji yelled, jumping over the table and with a powerful kick, finally managed to successfully dislodge the red menace from his kitchen.

Luffy skidded out the open door and the chef hurriedly slammed it shut again.

Sanji frowned when he noticed the lack of smoke from his cancer stick and replaced the guillotined cigarette with a fresh one.

As he returned to his previous activity of chopping up carrots, he frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. What if Luffy found barging into the kitchen amusing or entertaining? Considering the fact that he sometimes lacks anything to do, it might be possible he's just doing it out of boredom.

Sanji seriously hoped that isn't part of Luffy's logic because he knows that the captain gets out of hand sometimes when playing games. If he were set in Sanji's precious kitchen, a lot of things would be destroyed.

Thinking about it, the chef glanced back at his most preferred room. Nothing really was out of line except for maybe a few chairs that were partially moved from their spot.

The blonde rolled the cigarette around his mouth as he checked the stew, stirring it around a little then closing the lid again.

Well, Luffy may be an idiot but looking back, he never really remembered any instances where he had really destroyed the kitchen intentionally. Sanji was sure the rubber boy knew how much cooking means to him and you can't cook in a kitchen with the stove, sink, and fridge full of holes.

"Sanji! When's the food going to be ready?" came the unmistakable faint voice from the other side of the door.

The cook twitched again and grit his teeth. Then again maybe Luffy didn't destroy the kitchen because no food would be produced.

"Shut up! Dinner's going to be ready when it's ready!" Sanji snapped back towards the innocent door.

Grumbling as he started to finish up the last of the dishes, he felt rather irritated that Luffy would rush him, after all, food takes patience to prepare.

When dinner was served, Luffy, of course started stuffing himself with food as well as stealing from the others' plates (except the ladies' of course.)

After Luffy deemed himself at least halfway full, he leaned back against the chair and sighed happily.

"I'm stuffed!"

Sanji snorted. "Yet you try to break into my kitchen every other night," he commented, pointing his cigarette at Luffy.

The captain blinked and smiled which turned into laughter.

"I can't help myself Sanji! Your cooking is just too delicious! It makes me happy to eat your food! Boy am I glad you became my chef!"

_Or rather you forced me to become your chef_, Sanji thought but nonetheless he grinned. That's what cooking's all about for him after all. The reason he was always patient with the dishes he cooked, carefully making sure they were absolutely perfect. It was all for the enjoyment of the people.

Well at least Luffy understood that about him but he was never the sort of guy who would dismiss the things his nakama likes and dislikes and protects whatever is precious to them with wholeheartedness.

Sanji leaned back against the counter smoking placidly.

Well, maybe he could let Luffy sneak out with a few pieces of meat from the fridge tonight. He was suddenly in an unusually happy mood.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah well you'll notice I didn't add that usual ending with the family member thing but I dunno how to describe how Sanji is the cousin. It's just hard to explain so I kinda left it out? X(


	10. Vivi Itokosan

**Summary:** Vivi awaits the day when she will be reunited with her nakama.

* * *

The wind rushed across the white face of the crescent moon, swirling and creating miniature sandstorms in midair.

The light filtered in through the window and illuminated a young girl with blue hair cascading down all around her. Beside her was a large yellow duck.

Vivi sat on her bed, gazing at the new wanted posters distributed by the Marines. She flipped through the posters, staring at the familiar faces and one unfamiliar one.

Everyone had a bounty now and she was sure they would be proud.

"Look how much stronger they've gotten Carue," she said softly to her companion beside her.

The Spot-Billed Duck had grown considerably more since the Straw Hats had left Arabasta a long while ago.

Carue gave a small quack in answer and Vivi chuckled.

"I think they're doing just fine," she continued, still gazing at the pictures. "Even if they declared war against the World Government, they'll be okay."

There was a small silence before Vivi leaned back against her pillows.

"I hope they'll be okay… I can't help but worry. It's kind of silly because they're so strong but the Marines are also strong," Vivi said, turning to Carue.

The duck gave the princess a gentle nudge of assurance and she patted his head.

"But I have faith in them. Someday, they'll come back here to pay us a visit, Carue. We should throw a banquet for them right? To celebrate Luffy becoming Pirate King," Vivi said happily, a smile on her lips. "They are my nakama after all. I can't wait until that day."

Carue nodded and quacked.

"They can tell me everything about the adventures they've gone through and we can show them all around Arabasta and how much has changed since they left. It would be so much fun and exciting," she sighed, imagining all the things they could do.

There was a knock at her door and after a "come in" from Vivi, Igaram slipped through and closed the door behind him.

"You're still up Vivi-sama?" he inquired in a whisper.

The princess smiled and nodded, looking down at the wanted posters in her hand.

"Ah I see. That. Still looking at those so late at night?"

Vivi nodded and laughed quietly. "You're surprised at this?" she asked with amusement in her voice.

Igaram merely shook his head. "I guess I shouldn't be," he replied. "What's on your mind to stay up this late?"

"I'm just thinking about them and wondering how they're doing and where they are."

"The CP9 incident took place at Water Seven so they should be almost halfway to their goal."

Vivi nodded, pleased and with a proud glint in her eyes, reflecting moonlight. "Yes they are. Not many make it that far but of course I shouldn't be surprised. They are my nakama after all. They'll come to visit us again soon Igaram."

The man smiled. "Are you going to stay up much longer?"

Vivi shook her head. "Don't worry I won't."

Igaram nodded and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

The princess looked at the papers in her hands one last time before getting up and tucking them securely in a desk drawer.

Until she sees her nakama again, she'll be cheering them on for the accomplishment of their dreams. She will always be rooting them on, knowing that when they come back, there will be much merriment.

Vivi sighed and smiled to herself. She often reminded herself of a long-distance cousin. Although she was far away, she was still a part and shall remain in her nakama's family.

* * *

**A/N:** Finally! Although I'm not sure if I got the Japanese for cousin correct.


	11. Chopper Otoutosan

**Summary:** Chopper hopes to one day be as great as his nakama.

* * *

Chopper is indeed a very curious being.

His fascination of medicine could be said to have started from intrigue. All these things that could have such effects on the body, he wanted to find out why.

He was never really taught anything about the world around him due to the fact that both humans and reindeer cast him out. So, sometimes, he would just sit around and wonder about things and knowing wistfully that he may never find out why they were.

That was before he met Doctor Hiruluk.

Now, Chopper just couldn't keep his amazement to himself.

This was an entirely different world. A place where there were so many mysterious things that don't have nor need an explanation. Just a few years ago, he wouldn't have even ventured into such a realm of possibilities.

This new large world was so overwhelming; Chopper has no idea where to start. He wanted to find out everything he could.

What were those strange creatures that bury themselves in the scorching hot sands of Arabasta? How was it that there were birds that could only point south?

There was so many things to explore and Chopper knew nothing about it.

That is why, as he traveled, he would look up to the others to inform him about it. Usopp's stories were so interesting because they might as well have been real due to the endless surprises the Grand Line supplies. Chopper listened eagerly to them because they were fascinating and sounded so informative on the vast mysterious ocean.

Chopper looked up and often admired his crewmates because of their survival in the rough seas. He wanted to become just like them, overcoming powerful enemies and obstacles.

He knew his nakama were strong and if not they more than made up with quick thinking, skills, and reflexes.

Chopper often reflected on himself and thought that he might be one of the weakest in the crew because his Rumble Balls lasted for only three minutes and he was only able to ever take them separately within the six hours. He needed to aid of that special medicine to help him fight, possessing neither strength or being quick-witted. In such a small form, he was helpless and even in his big form, he can't take out big enemies.

But the others could fare on their own wonderfully without any help and for that, Chopper respected them and looked up at them with sparkling eyes. They were his heroes.

They saved Drum from the tyrannical rule of Wapol. If it weren't for them, he might have still been unable to let go of Hiruluk's death. Even more so, they accepted him for who he was even when others called him a monster and isolated him.

Chopper couldn't ask for anything better, joining in on their festive moods and playing around with them. Under Nami's harsh chastising, Sanji's nutritious food, Usopp's story, Luffy's lessons, Robin's wisdom, and Zoro's support, he had never felt more at home.

He felt he had so much to learn from his nakama. They had so much experience that Chopper felt the want for a little bit of their wisdom.

He hoped that one day, with everything that his nakama had taught him, he would be as great as the people who taught him these lessons.

But even if he became as great as his nakama, he would always admire them.

His crewmates never objected to his curiosity and took their time to give Chopper the attention that is needed.

As Chopper looked up to them like they were his older brothers and sisters, he hoped they looked at him like their little brother.


	12. Big Sister Robin

**Summary:** Nami is frustrated with the crew and Robin is there to listen.

* * *

Nami dropped down on the lawn chair beside Robin in a huff.

The older woman glanced at her from her book. She looked extremely irritated and angry, looking ready to punch someone's face in.

"Is there something wrong Nami-chan?"

The other seemed to be thinking whether she should tell Robin or not and finally made up her mind.

"Yeah…" she said tiredly.

"Would you like to tell me?" Robin asked, marking her book and putting it down so she could give Nami her undivided attention.

"Well, it's just that being on this ship is so stressful and frustrating. There are so many things here that annoy me that just thinking about it makes me want to scream," Nami replied looking moodily around the deck.

"Oh?" Robin encouraged.

"Yeah! You wouldn't believe the pains I take to withstand them! First, there's Luffy. He's a great guy but he just isn't rational sometimes and it annoys me just how thick headed he could be. Not to mention how much noise he makes while I'm trying to concentrate on my maps," Nami exploded, frowning.

"Surely no one else is as annoying."

The cat burglar shook her head vigorously. "No way! Then there's Sanji. He's really loyal and does whatever you tell him to do but I hate how he fights with Zoro. Even during inopportune moments! Plus it gets a little annoying sometimes how he always dotes over me.

"There's also Zoro. The idiot does nothing but eat, sleep, drink, and fight. It's all he really ever does unless prompted! Plus, he still hasn't paid a single cent of his debt." At that, Nami's eyes glinted.

Robin nodded to show that she was still paying attention.

"It's so frustrating that out of all of them, the only ones who are sane enough to keep this ship afloat is you and me," Nami sighed, slumping in defeat. "Darn it. I have a headache now. I don't even want to think about the others." She rubbed her temples wearily.

"Ah I see. What had they done this time to make you so angry?"

"Oh I don't know! Just that earlier today, I go into the kitchen to see that the table managed to get smashed and the fridge was sliced clean in half. I know Sanji is protective of the kitchen, which is why it drove me up the wall when he started accusing Zoro and Luffy for the damages. I mean, why didn't he just kick them out like normal?"

"Did you ask them what they were doing?" Robin asked calmly.

"Of course I did! But the idiots got into another fight. I ordered them to clean up and Franky is repairing the fridge right now. If he can that is."

The architect offered her untouched cup of tea sitting beside her.

"It's a bit cold," Robin warned.

"Thanks," Nami muttered, taking the cup. "It's made worse because I know no matter how much I hit, scream, and punch, they would still revert back to their old selves. They'll never change!" she moaned despairingly after taking a sip.

"But do you really want them to change?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Robin seemed to be thinking for a while. "What if Luffy wasn't goofy? What if he was always serious?"

Nami scrunched up her face. "I can't imagine him ever being serious."

"Then what about Zoro? Would you rather he obey your every command like Sanji does? Or if Sanji didn't care about you?"

"I can't really imagine that either."

"Zoro and Sanji fighting is a way for them to release some pent up stress of being at sea for so long and doing nothing. They don't really mean to break anything. It's like an odd rivalry. And if Luffy weren't so carefree and clueless, I wouldn't think he'd be straightforward about his view on things."

"I guess," Nami said slowly.

"They are what they are Nami-chan and you should let them be. They may be annoying from time to time but it is their nature and they're too stubborn to change," Robin finished thoughtfully.

"Then what should I do? I can't keep doing this! My tolerance and patience only lasts so long! And I might even get desperate enough to throw them into the water." Nami groaned.

"Well, since the three won't stop being themselves and you can't stand anymore of their antics, how about when you are frustrated, you sit out here with me?"

Nami blinked. "That might be a good idea. I mean, I notice how no one really comes over here to bother you much so I guess so." She then gave a bright smile. "Thanks Robin. You're a lifesaver."

The navigator stood up from the lawn chair, feeling pleased that she has at least a little room for some time-out from her screaming and hitting duties.

"Thanks onee-sama!" Nami thanked before going back into the kitchen to, undoubtedly see the progress of the clean-up. A few shouts of pain confirmed that they were not doing a good job.


	13. Franky Aniki

Ah! I'm desperately sorry for making people wait for this chapter. I had a writer's block for what to write for Franky so I was stuck for days! And add in my procrastination nature... Well...

**Summary:** Even as a newcomer, Franky feels at home.

* * *

Franky, having grown up with a band of misfits who thinks highly of him, thought he had to leave everything behind when he left Water Seven. It's not that he was unhappy to be with the Straw Hats (they were a 'super' group) but he kind of missed being looked up to.

He looked at the latest damage to the ship extensively, analyzing the broken wood. Another one of Luffy's stunts no doubt.

The other two that were just as guilty shuffled their feet around uncomfortably. They knew they had just wrecked it and were now standing together nervously as though awaiting a teacher to decide on a proper detention.

"We're sorry Franky. You know that right?" Usopp asked, shaking slightly.

Chopper and Luffy nodded in agreement.

Franky stood up and faced the three most childish crewmembers on the ship.

"Ah well. It's fine. It's really not as bad as it looks anyway."

Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy immediately brightened up upon the realization that Franky is letting them off scott-free.

"But."

The three immediately looked crestfallen.

"You guys are gonna help me rebuild this," said Franky, gesturing with his thumb towards the broken rail and floor.

"Okay Franky," they said in a defeated tone.

They started immediately after the tools and wood were laid out.

After a few minutes however, all of them somehow managed to get sidetracked from their original purpose.

Now, instead of fixing the damaged portion of the ship, everyone was imitating another crewmember. There was much howls of laughter and shouts as everyone seemingly forgot about their task.

The atmosphere around them was light and full of festivities and in the back of his happy-drunk mind, it reminded Franky a bit like home. There was never really any silence around even during the night where numerous heavy snores could be heard throughout.

"Shut up! Can't I get some peace around here!" a shrill voice suddenly rang out. Everyone immediately stopped moving and put into silence.

After a few minutes, when everyone was sure that Nami wouldn't scream again, they resumed their activities.

The sudden outburst had shaken Franky back to their ignored job.

"Hey guys. We still need to fix the railing and floor of the ship," Franky reminded. A few protests could be heard but nonetheless the four got back to work.

A few broken finger bones later, the small group managed to repair the damage and looked as good as new.

"Phew. Wow I never knew doing something as simple as rebuilding a railing could be so tough," Usopp said as he looked at his swollen fingers.

"Yeah," Chopper agreed. He then turned to Franky. "It's a good thing we have Franky in our crew now or the Thousand Sunny would look like a rag."

"Hey! I tried my best," said Usopp. "It was just harder than I thought to repair a ship."

"Yup. You need years of experience," Franky agreed, nodding.

"You're pretty incredible Franky to stick to it," Chopper commented.

"Ah well. I enjoy it," Franky simply answered.

"I'm glad Franky's in my crew now! No one could fit better being shipwright," Luffy said happily.

Usopp nodded sagely. "Before, the Merry was in such bad shape… Anyone could recognize us by just how beat up our ship was and the size. I still love Merry though," he finished somberly.

"Yeah. You could always recognize us for our small ship. No pirate ship is that small and with so little crewmembers! Others thought we were weird," Luffy said, laughing.

"Now we have a bigger ship," Chopper said excitedly. "And its got so much stuff thanks to Franky!"

"Well, I was happy to make this ship for you."

And Franky felt he could be an aniki again.

* * *

**A/N:** Ah... Yeah I think it's also kinda lame... Sigh...


	14. Son Thousand Sunny

I finally got an update done. That took so long it wasn't even funny

**Summary: **The Thousand Sunny has a lot to learn about the world.

* * *

The Thousand Sunny sat on the dock, bobbing as the water lapped upon its wood. Newly built, he was ready to face the rough ocean of the Grand Line.

The Going Merry had passed the torch and her spirit to him and now, it was his turn to carry the crew around the other half of the treacherous seas.

He hoped he could make it. He was less experienced and was only just setting out to sea. However, he was sure he would learn in no time and he knew that the crew would guide him through.

He couldn't wait for all the adventures that waited ahead of him. He was new and strong thus confident and desired to explore this new world.

He knew it was going to be a hard and dangerous journey however but was sure he could overcome them. He also knew that the Grand Line was a stretch of sea with the most unusual phenomenon and anything could happen. He hoped he would be ready against them.

He watched as his crew explored their new ship. They seemed like an odd group. A stretchable captain, a green-haired man with three swords, a blonde that had his left eye covered at all times and a curly eyebrow, a small reindeer that talked, and a long nosed teen. The only two women looked normal and the one other in the crew, he knew, was Franky, his creator.

He didn't think he could see a stranger group of pirates. They were so diverse and different from each other that he wondered how they had gotten so far together. There was no way it would work out too well.

Sure enough, there were a lot of yelling and fighting. The green-haired man with the swords and the blonde cook often clashed with such vigor that he was afraid they were tear him apart. Then, there was the orange-haired girl who constantly yelled and screamed at everyone if they did something she deemed wrong. He started to feel less confident about journeying and wondered why he couldn't have had a different crew.

As they were sailing along, he got to know them a little better. Luffy was very ambitious about his goal but more importantly, he seemed to care about his crew and even strangers he had just met. Like that strange walking skeleton that was currently sitting in the kitchen with the rest.

Upon finding his plight about his lost shadow, it seems that eventually, every crewmember had agreed to help him. Even though they know it'll be dangerous mission they agreed anyway.

He had to admit, he was a bit impatient about that. He wanted to continue but there doesn't seem to be a choice. But now, stuck in this giant spider web, he just wanted to yell from frustration. Why can't anything go right?

He watched as eventually, everybody left. He was still stuck in that sticky mess and that gave him time to think.

It seems that no one is in a real rush to finish; the hasty race to One Piece seemed to come second. They are risking their lives for a mere stranger. Then, he figured, maybe the most valuable thing they prize most are lives. After all, if someone was dead, there was no possible way they could complete their own life goals and dreams. And Brooke seems to have a goal to reach a whale. Not only do they want to see their own dreams come true but they want other's dreams to come true too.

Thousand Sunny lightened at his crew's insight. He couldn't believe how he had initially thought it was useless to help a stranger. He was only just born to this world but his crew had been around longer and knows more things about the world. He hoped they could share some of their knowledge to him.

Yes the Thousand Sunny was just born and the world was indeed large. He hoped that the pirates who lived on his decks would teach him about this strange place. To them, he would be like a son.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey why not? If Going Merry was part of their crew, why not the next ship, Thousand Sunny? Yep.


	15. Uncle Brook

Wow I think I seriously have some issues here. I can't believe how long it took to write this and post it up. Unbelieveable.

**Summary:** Brook wants to try a little something out on the crew.

* * *

"Yohoho!" was the laugh that echoed around the ship that night after dinner when the crew lounged around lazily, too full to fall asleep right away but too tired to do anything.

The only technically dead member of the crew had an old accordion between his hands and had been playing around with it for the past thirty minutes. He pressed the piano keys experimentally and nodded in satisfaction when he managed to get the note he wanted.

Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, the only ones with enough energy to last them until bedtime, danced around Brook, laughing at the occasional odd or off-key note.

It didn't take much longer for Brook to play the instrument smoothly (maybe because it was partly due to the piano keys) and in no time, various pieces of music blended into each other.

He played country, folk, and random bits of music that was stereotypically thought to be played on pirate ships.

"Say Brook, have you played the accordion before?" Usopp asked sitting down and taking a break.

"Hmm… I think one of my old shipmates played it. But otherwise I've never even touched one."

"Wow and you learned so fast too. Where did you learn to play instruments?" Usopp asked curiously.

Brook seemed to think for a while.

"Well I don't really remember but I do remember that I wanted to play the piano the moment I laid eyes on it when I was a little boy. The sound it produced was so beautiful and it seemed to resonate inside of me. I guess that's what prompted me to play." Brook nodded in affirmation as he told this to the crew.

"That must've been a long time ago then," Chopper piped out.

"Yes, it's been so long my brain could hardly recall any details even when I don't have one! Yohohoho!" Brook said laughing at his own joke.

"I doubt you had a brain even when you were alive," Sanji muttered, referring to his lack of manners despite the skeleton's adamant protests that he was, in fact, a gentleman.

"Hmm… You know, I don't think I've seen an accordion with piano keys," Brook continued, empathizing his point by pressing down on some of the aforementioned keys.

"But you seem good at it anyway!" Luffy exclaimed, sitting down beside Usopp.

"Yohohoho! Indeed I love playing music. It's fun to try new things after all!" Brook abruptly stopped playing with the accordion, looking thoughtful.

"What's wrong Brook?" Luffy asked.

"Well," Brook set the accordion down on the deck before standing upright again. "When I said try new things, I was thinking. What if, and don't get me wrong when I say this but, I become ungentlemanly?"

There was a choking sound somewhere in the general vicinity of Sanji.

"Eh? Why would you want to do that?" Chopper asked confused with Usopp nodding in agreement to the question.

"It's not that I want to mistreat the ladies but I want try something different. But don't worry, I'll make sure I reserve some manners."

There was a thud behind Brook and a mop of blond hair could be seen on the floor, body riddled with severe spasms.

~*~

The next morning was rather peaceful considering Sanji was not yelling at Brook when he did something indecent at the table. Instead, the skeleton was sitting at in front of his breakfast eating calmly. This seemed to put the blond cook more on edge, however, seeing as he was glancing at the musician ever few moments.

"Wow Brook. You're quiet this morning. What's wrong?" Luffy asked in between stuffing his face with stolen food and the indignant squawks of his victims.

"I'm ignoring everyone," Brook replied.

"Ignoring?" Nami asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Yes. It is quite rude to ignore people don't you think?"

"I guess." It looked clear that the navigator didn't know what was going through the musician's head but seemed to relish in the quietness of Brook. This means no burping and farting at the table and asking Robin if he could see her panties.

Later on, Brook was quiet but no one inquired about it seeing as they knew about his experiment. Plus, some members were relieved for this one holiday from his usual habits.

However, this holiday became an early Halloween when Brook later tried to cut off the railings of the ship.

Throughout the day, he stole Usopp's tools and hid them, making as much noise as possible around Zoro, tripped Sanji, tied Luffy down and read Arabasta's history to him, and forced Chopper into Defense Point.

Luckily for the ladies (and Brook), the skeleton didn't bother Nami and Robin, seemingly opting to ignore them.

If Brook had harassed the women on the ship, Sanji (who had already been tripped at least _fifteen times_) would have seriously kicked him all the way around the world.

By the end of the day, everyone was in a pretty bad mood due to Brook except Robin who was largely unaffected. Nami had to constantly yell at him all day to try to prevent him from doing anymore outrageous things.

The ship's musician was currently casually sitting on the railing of the ship and playing with the accordion again.

"Argh. I'm so glad today's over," Usopp mumbled.

Everyone silently agreed.

Brook seemed pleased with his experiment though.

"Yohoho! Your reactions were almost exactly just like my old crewmates!"

Everyone stared in disbelief at the skeleton who continued playing his instrument merrily. He was annoying them all day just to see if their reactions were the same?

"This guy. He somehow reminds me of some kind of weird uncle," Nami managed to utter incredulously.


	16. Oretachi wa FAMILY!

**Summary:** A nice, happy family reunion turned bad.

* * *

How did things become so hectic? Well, for the Straw Hats, hectic is part of their everyday life but this… was getting ridiculous.

It all began this morning. The sun was starting to rise, the sea was beautifully majestic swathed in colors, and sea life was beginning to get more active. This was also the time in which everyone woke up and had breakfast.

After breakfast, everyone would separate to their own individual activities of their enjoyment and getting involved in the occasional skirmish. But the key word here is 'would.'

Today was deemed different because as Luffy, with his crew trailing behind him (save for Sanji who was washing the dishes), marched from the kitchen, they could hear the faint shout of the captain's name.

"Do you hear something?" Nami inquired. Not one second after she asked, a thud sounded as someone landed on the railings beside them.

The person smirked, readjusting his orange hat and stood to full height.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed and moved to tackle him. Ace, seeing his imminent doom in the form of his little brother moved aside but caught Luffy by the back of his vest before he would plunge into the ocean.

"Still as reckless as ever," Ace chuckled and set Luffy down. He jumped down from the railings and grinned at the rest of the crew.

"Yo," Ace greeted. "How're things?"

The crew made various different greetings in return.

He surveyed the group. "I see you have new members." He tipped his hat towards them. "It's a pleasure meeting you. I'm Ace, Luffy's big bro."

"Yep! That's Franky and that's Brook over there!" Luffy said happily pointing at the owners of the names.

"Ace you say? From Whitebeard?" Franky asked in surprise.

"That's correct," the other pirate said. He looked around the ship and whistled. "Wow great ship. Very well built."

"Yep! Franky's the best shipwright ever!" Luffy boasted. The said shipwright smiled brightly.

"I always build with care and love so it turns out supa!" Franky exclaimed proudly.

It was then a blonde mop of hair poked out of the kitchen door with a trail of smoke curling lazily up into the air from his cigarette.

"Oi I heard Ace is here," Sanji stated as he looked towards Luffy's elder brother. "Want a bite?"

"If you don't mind. I didn't eat for a few days now," Ace said apologetically.

Sanji nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"So how's everyone been doing? I hope my little brother didn't give everyone too much trouble."

Everyone just stared at him in a 'duh' fashion.

Ace laughed outright and grabbed Luffy in a chokehold, giving him a noogie.

"You can't seem to spare your nakama any trouble can you?"

"No," everyone said in a bland voice simultaneously.

Luffy just whined in protest.

"Food's done," Sanji announced.

Everyone followed Ace into the kitchen, chatting with one another as they did. Upon his prompt on their adventures, the room exploded in a color of conversation. This ranged from explanations about what happened since the last time they met to whining about what Luffy did yesterday.

"And _then_ managed to break my frying pan," Sanji finished, smoldering from his rant.

Luffy pouted at this. "But Sanji, it wasn't broken. It still had half the handle still attached. It was still usable!" He looked like a child being scolded by his mother and probably didn't wanting his brother to hear all his misbehaviors.

"Why don't you try flipping food in the air clutching half a handle. I'm sure you'll realize how difficult it would be," Sanji retorted.

"So how have you been Ace?" Chopper asked.

The narcoleptic pirate only shrugged. "I've been okay. Could use some better days though."

Brook paused from sipping his tea (a bit obnoxiously) and added "Ah yes a calm day to make some new music is very soothing."

"Oh you play? So you're the crew musician. It's just like Luffy to have one."

"Indeed I play! The violin and piano mostly. I've been practicing," the skeleton said. "And I'm happy to have joined Luffy as the musician yohohoho!"

"Speaking of which, why are you a skeleton?" Ace raised an eyebrow.

"Oh well you see, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi and brought me back to life as a skeleton," Brook explained. "I've been stuck at Thriller Bark for years without a shadow until Luffy found me."

"Well Luffy. It seems you haven't only been fooling around," Ace smirked at his younger brother.

"Of course not! I kicked Moria's butt easy!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro opened his mouth to say something when Robin stated calmly "There seems to be someone outside."

Luffy was the first one to the door and so jerked it open. The person he saw outside standing on his deck with his back turned made the hyperactive captain shout a large yell of glee and promptly launched himself again.

Shanks had turned around just in time to collide with a bundle of Luffy.

Everyone crowded around the kitchen door in wonder as they stared at the one and only Red-Haired Shanks with his ship sailing right beside theirs. There, people leaned against the railings and watched the reunion with smirks and chuckles.

Ace was among the people around the doorway and froze in shock as his eyes widened.

Shanks somehow managed to pull a very happy Luffy off of him and stood back up and gave a wide grin.

"Luffy! You sure have grown a lot. Haven't seen you in years!" Shanks observed. "I've been keeping up with your wanted posters and the news and I gotta say, you are one of the most troublesome kid the Grand Line has ever met. I'm so proud of you!"

He patted Luffy's head firmly. "You still keeping up your promise?"

"Definitely!" the captain cried in return.

It was then the red-head turned towards the rest of the crew and spotted Ace walking towards him.

This brightened Shanks' face considerably.

"Ace! I've heard a lot about you too! How're things keeping up for you?"

The other pirate moved to say something then fell back on the deck snoring.

Shanks shook his head and chuckled. "You two haven't changed all too much. I still remember when you two were just boys and I took you treasure hunting."

"Yeah! And that time Ace switched your rum with apple juice!" Luffy chirruped happily.

The older pirate sagged at the memory. "I'd rather not think about that Luffy," he mumbled and once again faced the crew. "You've sure assembled a fine crew."

"Of course! They're the best! C'mon guys! Come meet Shanks!" He beckoned his friends over and they dared approach then started to introduce them.

"That's Nami. She's the best navigator and weather predictor ever! That's Sanji and his meals are delicious! And…" Luffy continued on with vigor. When Usopp was mentioned last, Shanks raised an eyebrow.

"Usopp? You mean you're Yasopp's son?" he asked.

The coward nodded and the red-head turned towards his ship but didn't find a need to call his sharpshooter for he was already onboard and slowly advancing towards his son.

There was a tense silence before Shanks whispered to Luffy, "Let's leave them alone for a while." And they silently stepped back into the kitchen.

"You've assembled a fine crew Luffy. Well first, to put up with you but also for sticking up for you up until now," Shanks commented.

The door opened once more and Ace stepped in, messing up his hair from under his hat, grumbling.

Shanks smirked. "It's good to know you're still the same Ace."

"Which is good because it means I'm still more mature than Luffy," the pyromaniac replied giving a lopsided grin.

"Excuse my interruption but how did you get to know Luffy-san and Ace-san?" Robin asked. "I was surprised when he told me he personally knew you."

Shanks scratched his chin and gave a wide grin, showing several teeth. "Well…"

It was well into the afternoon and the get-together was in full swing. Sanji, joined with Shanks' cook, had joined together to make food for the combined amount of people while Brook provided lively music. This created a light atmosphere and a party abounded soon after.

"Yes! Eat that. Straight royal flush," Nami announced in triumph as she revealed her hand of cards. The men around her groaned and banged their heads on the table as she smirked haughtily.

"Now pay up!"

All around her people were going crazy, running around, drinking, and laughing raucously. It was the sound and feel of a hearty gathering of long-lost friends. Usopp and Yasopp were conversing in a quieter area of the ship. Luffy was, of course, the center of attention to everyone while Ace just sat on the sidelines drinking rum and having occasional narcoleptic fits.

No one seemed to pay mind as a large Marine warship slowly and quietly sidled along the other side of the Thousand Sunny. No one paid heed as a gruff-looking figure landed on the ship with a thud. No one saw him until he let out a big booming voice.

"LUFFY!"

The ship abruptly quieted and stilled and a hushed silence fell over the crowd until:

"Eh?! What's jiji doing here?"

A wave of whispers washed over the heads of the pirates.

Garp scanned the mass of people until he pinpointed the straw hat-wearing captain and locked-on to him. He zoomed through and lifted Luffy up by the front of his vest.

"What? Is this the sort of greeting I get when your caring grandfather comes to pay you a visit?"

Ace let out a loud snore and fell off his chair, landing on the deck with a dull thud and waking up.

"Jiji's here?" he asked with sharp clarity of the situation.

Garp swiveled his attention to Ace and dropped Luffy back down.

"Ah Ace is here too! Two of my wonderful grandsons here at the same time! What a great day it is!" And to empathize the point, he gave a loud laugh.

The brothers exchanged looks before being jolted back to Garp when he spoke.

"What's this? A party?"

He looked around through the people and froze when he spotted Shanks. The pirate felt a shiver run down his spine and gulped as Garp's stare quickly morphed into a glare.

"YOU! RED-HAIRED SHANKS!"

Shanks nervously pointed to himself to confirm that he, and not anyone else, was about to face the crap that fate was about to throw at him.

Darn you fate!

"You're the one who corrupted my grandsons eh? Well we finally meet. How dare you turn them towards the unruly path of piracy! Eh?" Garp yelled, his voice echoing around like thunder.

"Now wa-wait a minute!" Shanks pleaded frantically.

But Garp doesn't seem to want to wait another minute to crush the red-head because he had already hefted a chair and thrown it towards the offending pirate.

Shanks screamed and ran.

It was then that chaos started to rein over. The pirates were either laughing, shouting, or just watching the scene. The Marines on Garp's battleship stood on the deck, confused about whether or not to arrest the pirates or to obey Garp's orders.

And of course Luffy and Ace were both trying to get Garp to stop trying to kill their favorite idol.

"Wait gramps!"

"It wasn't Shanks who turned us into pirates! How many times do we have to tell you we decided on it before!"

Ace scoffed. "He never listens to us anyway," he grumbled.

"Gramps! Stop chasing Shanks!"

Everything became blurred and hectic after this and the rest is history. Of course, they couldn't be a real family without having a few fights now and then right?

* * *

**A/N:** Okay you caught me. If you read Don't Tell Ace, you'll get some of the (not so?) jokes with Shanks XD

I tried to add some crew conversations because I felt they were left out on this chapter. And that's all folks! The last chapter of Dysfunctional Family by yours truly. I hope it was as good as I hope it is because I didn't want to disppoint anyone. Ciao!


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